The season-ending foot injury to Oregon center Bol Bol isn’t likely to prevent NBA teams from taking a strong look at him if he declares for the 2019 draft.
Per ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst, Bol remains high on the list of draft-eligible prospects even as they wait to go over his medical records:
“How well this works won’t be known for a while, but in canvassing the league over the past few days, teams remain very high on Bol. While they all have to wait for the medical exams in the spring, a handful of executives said they could still see him going in the top 10 in June. Some of it, a few general managers admitted, is the upcoming draft is so top-heavy that a talent like Bol just won’t fall that much.”
Bol’s lawyer, Bryan J. Freedman, told The Athletic’s Shams Charania his client had surgery Jan. 3 for a non-displaced fracture of navicular bone in his left foot.
Charania reported Bol will use a walking boot and crutches for eight to 10 weeks before returning to basketball activities this summer.
Bol announced on Twitter his freshman season at Oregon has come to a premature end as a result of his injured foot:
Playing for my dream school under my favorite Coach Altman has been the Best part of my life and sadly it has come to end sooner than I would Like but thank you for all those who rocking with me & all Oregon fans ??thank you #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/qYnjKO0p6x
— Bol (@BolBol) January 3, 2019
Speaking to B/R’s Jonathan Wasserman, one scout said Bol has “Kristaps Porzingis ability,” but “he could also get you fired” because the history of seven-footers with foot injuries succeeding in the NBA isn’t high.
In his most recent mock draft posted before Bol’s season officially came to an end, Wasserman projected the Oregon center to be selected No. 6 overall by the Washington Wizards.
Bol averaged 21.0 points and 9.6 rebounds while shooting 52 percent from three-point range in nine games for the Ducks.